Commentary is not Necessary
I have a student in my 2nd grade class who just transferred from Chile. He is very loud and outspoken. He constantly interrupts the other students and says very inappropriate things to others. He sometimes struggles to understand what his peers and teachers are saying because of the language barrier. I think that his behavior is his way of coping and dealing with the major change in his life. What should I do to address this in a sensitive way not to shut him down completely?

I would start with referring the new student to the counselor, following the school system protocol for ESOL and setting up a parent conference to discuss behavior and academic concerns. Meanwhile, I would assign him a student to be a peer mentor to help him understand routines and expectations as well as assist him with assignments.

This is a delicate situation and it is important to be as encouaging as possible. Along with the ESOL specialist and peer buddy, a positive reinforcer may also be helpful as well. Talking with the student one on one and creating some kind of contract will be a great way to help with the behavior aspect.

The first thing I would suggest is that a bilingual teacher or para professional would be located. Having someone that speaks the students language may help clarify classroom rules and expectations. The student may not be used to American customs and expectations. If a bilingual assistant is not available I would suggest finding a translation app or device, which can be used to make expectations understood. Lastly, pairing the student with a peer may help make him more comfortable in his new surroundings. The student needs to feel accepted and understood. There are many great strategies that can be implemented to help this student.

I think that this situation needs to be handled delicately. I think the main way is to let him ramble here and there, but to keep him from saying rude things to other people. Once you reward him for chiming in with positive and uplifting and well thought out ideas, and show him that rudeness gets him nowhere, he will start to adopt a more positive social behavior.

It is not going to be easy, and it will take years to get him on the same level with everyone else.

Probably speak to his parents about this behavior and other people of the same culture as him to get a better understanding of how to react. Let the student know you only mean well but definitely do some research before speaking to him. He is having a difficult time and is misunderstood. You should also maybe let the class know that he is just struggling to fit in due to the language and culture barrier. I'm sure it'll help include him more in activities and will help him cope.

Does the student have an ESOL teacher, maybe address the problem with them. They could reiterate what you expect and what is not tolerated for behavior. That way the student will understand and then have the chance to learn in your class.

I will suggest to find and instructive activity/game that catches his attentions, from there, I will suggest talking to the student using short and simple structured sentences. I will try to get as much information as I could and then analyzed it and use it towards his benefits, as I will try to find how to incorporate him in the classroom as he learns to follow along besides the language barrier.